A colour cast is a tint of a particular colour, usually unwanted, that evenly affects a photographic image in whole or in part. Certain types of light can cause

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

and

digital camera A digital camera, also called a digicam, is a camera that captures photographs in Digital data storage, digital memory. Most cameras produced today are digital, largely replacing those that capture images on photographic film or film stock. Dig ...

s to render a colour cast. Illuminating a subject with light sources of different

colour temperature Color (or colour in Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is the visual perception based on the electromagnetic spectrum. Though color is not an inherent property of matter, color perception is related to an object's light absorpt ...

s will usually cause colour cast problems in the shadows. The

human eye The human eye is a sensory organ in the visual system that reacts to light, visible light allowing eyesight. Other functions include maintaining the circadian rhythm, and Balance (ability), keeping balance. The eye can be considered as a living ...

generally does not notice the unnatural colour, because our eyes and brains adjust and compensate for different types of light in ways that cameras cannot. In film, colour casts can also be caused by problems in photo development. Improper timing or imbalanced chemical mixtures can cause unwanted casts. Colour casts can also occur in old photographs due to fading of dyes, particularly under the action of

ultraviolet Ultraviolet radiation, also known as simply UV, is electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths of 10–400 nanometers, shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation is present in sunlight and constitutes about 10% of ...

light. These may be correctable on a scanned version of the photograph with image editing techniques.

Solutions

Most digital cameras try to automatically detect and compensate colour cast and usually have a selection of manually set

white balance In photography and image processing, color balance is the global adjustment of the intensities of the colors (typically red, green, and blue primary colors). An important goal of this adjustment is to render specific colors – particularly neu ...

settings to choose from. Otherwise, photo editing programs, such as

Photoshop Adobe Photoshop is a raster graphics editor developed and published by Adobe for Windows and macOS. It was created in 1987 by Thomas and John Knoll. It is the most used tool for professional digital art, especially in raster graphics editin ...

, often have built in

colour correction Color correction is a process used in stage lighting, photography, television, cinematography, and other disciplines, which uses color gels, or filters, to alter the overall color of the light. Typically the light color is measured on a scale kno ...

facilities. For film, blue

filters Filtration is a physical process that separates solid matter and fluid from a mixture. Filter, filtering, filters or filtration may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * Filter (higher-order function), in functional programming * Fil ...

and amber filters are used to counter casts. Amber filters are used to reduce the blueish tint caused by daylight. Blue filters reduce the orange colour caused by incandescent light. A variety of coloured filters in varying degrees of intensity are available.

Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company, referred to simply as Kodak (), is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in film photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorporated i ...

's amber filters, for example, vary from palest yellow ("81C") to deepest amber ("85B"). A photographer chooses which filter to use based on the quality of the ambient light.

Colour temperature Color (or colour in Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is the visual perception based on the electromagnetic spectrum. Though color is not an inherent property of matter, color perception is related to an object's light absorpt ...

meters can read the temperature of the existing lighting conditions and guide the selection of the filter. Clouded sky, for example, requires a paler amber than clear blue sky. If a filter is unavailable, using a

flash Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional aliases * The Flash, several DC Comics superheroes with super speed: ** Flash (Jay Garrick) ** Barry Allen ** Wally West, the first Kid Flash and third adult Flash ...

is an alternative solution which usually provides enough neutral white light to counter the cast. In the case of film, if photographs all contain the same cast, it is usually indicative of improper chemical development. If the film itself does not contain any cast, it can be reused to create another set of photographs in proper chemical conditions. If the film contains a cast, filters can be used during photo processing to correct it.

Gallery

Blue color cast - Compass 1.jpg Blue color cast - Compass 2.jpg Blue color cast - Adhesive labels 1.jpg Blue color cast - Adhesive labels 2.jpg Blue color cast - Paper sleeve with CD - 1.jpg Blue color cast - Paper sleeve with CD - 2.jpg

References

Image defects

cast Cast may refer to: Music * Cast (band), an English alternative rock band * Cast (Mexican band), a progressive Mexican rock band * The Cast, a Scottish musical duo: Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis * ''Cast'', a 2012 album by Trespassers William ...

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Solutions

Gallery

See also

References